Calm Nuno amid the Wolves storm could be trump card

When asked how he’ll feel at 2.59pm on Saturday, taking charge of his first game as Wolves boss in the middle of what’s certain to be an electrifying atmosphere at a packed Molineux, Nuno replied, deadpan as you like: “As usual.”

Yes amid the unpredictable rollercoaster that is Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club, Nuno looks set to be the calm in the storm.

Wild gesticulation on the touchline? No chance. Fevered arguments with the fourth official? Not likely. Playing to the crowd? Definitely not.

This is a head coach who earned criticism in his last job for being dispassionate – but at Wolves, a club that’s seen an incredibly high turnover of players in the past 12 months and possesses an expectant and at times impatient fanbase, it could be a strength.

Emotionally he’s a world away from Walter Zenga and tactically he couldn’t be more different than Paul Lambert, be that a strength or a weakness.

He does share one similarity with Zenga, though.

If ‘out of darkness cometh light’ has been the club’s – and the city’s – motto since Moses wore short pants, a new slogan has emerged in recent years which both Zenga and now Nuno have immediately latched onto.

“The strength of the wolf is in the pack,” Nuno said yesterday. “So we want Molineux to be our pack.

He continued: "Saturday is going to be a good atmosphere, Molineux will be full.”

It certainly will be. In fact it may be better stocked than at any time since 1981, all of 37 years ago, with around 30,000 expected to fill the place and create a spine-tingling atmosphere.

A cheap ticket offer has helped, but whatever way you look at those are impressive numbers for a club that’s finished 15th two seasons in a row.

Feverish excitement surrounds two new players in particular – £15m man Ruben Neves and Atletico Madrid loanee Diogo Jota. While delighted with the additions made, Nuno is keen to stress the importance of the whole squad – both old and new players – as he bids to create a tight-knit team spirit.

“The new players are doing OK,” he said. “It’s very important that every player that comes to Wolves has to bring something in quality to join us.

“At the same time it’s very important the people who were here before help and sustain and that the adaptation will be easier. We’re doing that. The players who are more experienced here have embraced the new ones.

“It’s all about the team and putting together different names with the same spirit.”

Nuno was speaking publicly for the first time in almost a month.

He eschewed the chance to give a blow-by-blow account in pre-season. And who can blame him? He’s had 25 players to get to know while implementing a new formation and playing style at a club and a division he probably didn’t know a fat lot about until two months ago.

So after an intense few weeks on the training ground, what’s his assessment of the work done so far?

“We are happy with pre-season because it was tough work, good work, we tried to put things together,” he added. “It’s a good moment to initiate what we expect to be growing throughout the time.

“As days and the competition goes along we will improve. But it was a good pre-season.

“Focused, concentrated, enjoying what they’re doing. At the same time demanding what we expect from them – hard work lots of kilometres but at the same time always with the ball. They like training with the ball. We’re pleased with the work we’ve been doing and happy with the boys.”

If he’s still happy with them in nine months’ time it will have been a season to remember.